Morning Truce
by DarkRedWillow
Summary: Because sometimes words aren't needed to make amends. Alexis makes her peace with Kate, early the morning after Always. One-Shot.


I've had this sitting in my laptop ever since _Always_, and I wasn't sure what to do of it, so I thought I'd post it as a one-shot.

Disclaimer: I do not own any of the Castle characters, nor am I affiliated with any of the cast and crew, as well as creators and writers of the show.

* * *

The loft was quiet as Kate slowly padded through it, her toes curling against the cool floor as she made her way to the kitchen. The sun had barely risen, the clock ticking the minutes away as six o'clock had welcomed the exhausted former detective back to the land of the living.

Unable to fall back asleep and her clothes still a damp mess on Castle's bedroom floor, she borrowed one of the man's shirt and the pair of silk boxers that had been haphazardly thrown on the lounger the night before, stiffly getting dressed.

An hour later and absently nursing an empty cup of tea, Kate sat on the writer's sinfully comfortable couch. Slightly dozing, she didn't hear the front door opening and closing, neither did she hear the quiet steps that were suddenly coming her way. "Detective Beckett?"

Kate jumped and nearly dropped her empty mug on the floor, her eyes wide and worried as Alexis stood three feet away from her. The former cop nervously placed the mug on the coffee table, making sure to put it on a coaster when she caught the teenager staring down at her with an expression between anger and concern, her arms crossed over her chest. "Um. Alexis, hi."

"What are you doing here?" The redhead asked, harsher than she intended. A flash of guilt washed over her face as the older woman flinched and looked as if she wanted to curl up inside her father's shirt and disappear. Her father's shirt...now that she took a closer look, the teenager realized that the detective wasn't wearing much, and that the shorts that was peeking from under the shirt were her dad's as well.

Kate forced herself not to cringe as she sat back on the edge of the couch and met Alexis' eyes. She knew things wouldn't be easy with the younger Castle but, as they locked eyes at seven in the morning, Kate found she just didn't have it in her to face the girl's wrath. "Listen Alexis, I'm sorry, I didn't think you'd be back so soon. I, I'll go back to your dad's room and leave you alone."

Her mind still reeling about the woman's presence in her home, Alexis almost didn't catch the way Kate flinched as she slowly pushed herself of the couch. "Are you okay?"

"Yeah, just had a rough day yesterday." Kate attempted to shrug casually but failed, stifling a gasp as her shoulders protested against the movement.

Concern flickered in Alexis' eyes and she took a step closer to the detective, soft blue orbs widening in worry as she noticed for the first time the finger shaped bruises on the woman's neck. "Oh my God, what happened to you? Where's my dad, is he-"

"Alexis, he's fine, he's still sleeping. I was alone when this happened, I promise." Kate hurriedly explained and released a slightly shaky sigh when Alexis visibly relaxed and calmed down.

Now that she had seen the marks marring Kate's throat, Alexis realized that they weren't the only ones. There were scrapes on the woman's arms, and her hands looked swollen and stiff. Angry and painful looking bruises were starting to cover her bare legs and Alexis felt her heart tightening when it occurred to her that there were probably more hidden under the woman's clothes. "Kate, are you alright?"

Kate's head snapped up upon hearing her given name, surprised. "I'm fine, Alexis. It looks worse than it is."

Alexis hummed and narrowed her eyes, not believing her. She closed the distance between them and too fast for giving Kate any time to react, gently but swiftly grabbed the older woman's wrist to examine her hand.

Kate froze like a deer in headlights, her body taut and her eyes staring anxiously at the teenager's hand on her. "Relax, Kate, I don't bite." The redhead might have been angry at the cop for hurting her father and continuously giving him false hope over the years, but seeing her hurt somewhat tamed the resentment she felt. That and the fact that seeing her wearing her father's clothes hinted at certain events she didn't want to know. "Does it hurt?"

Sienna eyes glanced at blue's briefly before going back to the hand. "I've had worse."

Alexis rolled her eyes in annoyance. "Not what I asked. Are you up for climbing the stairs?" The tensing of the woman's body confirmed the redhead's assumptions. "Don't move."

"Alexis-"

"Stay here and don't move. I'll be right back."

Alexis turned around and sprinted for the stairs, leaving a stunned Kate in the living room, sitting awkwardly on the couch and not sure what had just happened. She was still debating what to do when the girl came back with a kit of first aid. "Alexis, really it's not a big deal."

"Obviously my dad didn't see the extent of your 'nothings' or he wouldn't have let you out of bed." Alexis replied dryly as she put the box on the coffee table and sat close to the older woman.

Kate was still too shell-shocked to do nothing but watch as Alexis took a small, white tube out of the first aid kit. She eyed it several seconds with a frown, glancing at Kate a few times. Alexis' features opened up and she looked up at the woman his father loved as much as he loved her, a new determination settling in her eyes. "It might be a little cold."

"What are you doing?" Kate muttered nervously as the girl's hand reached for her neck, recoiling instinctively.

A typical Castle glare froze her on the spot just as fingers moved to her jaw and softly motioning for her to turn her head to clear a better path to her neck. "You need to put something on those bruises or you won't be able to move your neck by tomorrow, and you aren't in any condition to do it yourself so stop squirming."

Then, carefully and with an effiency that made Kate doubt this was Alexis' first time doing this, a thin but thorough layer of arnica cream was applied to the visible bruises on Kate's body, first on her neck and then on her arms and legs. "Dad used to hurt himself a lot while doing research when I was younger. I swear his back and arms were bruised for months when he was researching ways for Derrick to escape the dungeon in _Storm Rising_."

Kate grinned, grateful for the distraction the girl was giving her. "Please tell me he didn't try and jump off a flight of stairs."

"Once, before I convinced him to use dummies instead. He even went to a fire station so he could learn the proper technique of sliding down a ladder."

"Of course he did." There was no annoyance in Kate's voice, no judgement. Only, Alexis noted with a relieved sigh, affection. Adoration. But she still wouldn't smile. She hadn't forgiven the cop for playing with her father's heart like it had always been hers to break.

Kate had done her best to stay still and let the girl work but she was growing uncomfortable. Alexis being her father's daughter, she noticed right away. "I'm almost done. I just need to put some ointment on your hand. Those scratches could get infected if you're not careful."

Alexis suddenly leveled Kate with a perfect stern expression covering her features. "Have you even cleaned them up? The scratches and abrasions." She clarified when she only received a confused glance from the older woman. "Jeez, you're worse than dad."

"Don't move." Still too stunned to do anything but to sit obediently while Alexis busied herself in the kitchen, Kate didn't notice the teenager coming back until a glass of water and a bottle of Advil were placed next to her.

The bottle of painkillers was already opened, Kate noted gratefully. She former cop was busy swallowing down the last pill when a shuffling sound was heard, announcing Castle's imminent arrival.

Alexis moved in front of Kate and stared her down, using what Kate was sure was a patented Lanie glare. Both women had been too much time together lately. "My dad is coming, I'll let the stuff on the table so he can take care of the ...rest."

The glare was gone and replaced with a bright blush on the redhead's cheeks, surprisingly echoed by the older woman as well.

The surprise kept on getting bigger as Kate felt the young adult's hand on her shoulder, warm and comforting. "Just...take care of him, and let him take care of you, okay? Please?"

The redhead's words had been ushered, but their meaning was clear. Kate nodded and managed a grin for the teenager, knowing in her heart that she would do everything in her power to not mess this up. Not when she now had all the time in the world to make it up to them.


End file.
